


Snappy sparkles

by novicescribe



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Lemon, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-03
Updated: 2016-01-03
Packaged: 2018-05-11 12:25:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5626597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/novicescribe/pseuds/novicescribe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Colonel Mustang runs out of patience with his insubordinate subordinate and in a spark of genius puts him into a rabbit's costume, while turning Al to look like a snowman, sending them to clean up the snow on the streets of the city. Ed is not the type to give in to a superior jerk and plans his revenge carefully. However, things rarely go according to plan. Follow the bunny pipsqueak, the giant snowman, the hot-headed colonel and an exasperated Lt. Hawkeye in sorting out this mess.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sparkles of Game

**Author's Note:**

  * For [All my friends](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=All+my+friends).



> Roy Mustang is probably my favourite character in Fullmetal for his responsible and adult personality - and of course his awesome ability to fan the flames. Literally. Then watching him arguing with Ed in one episode made me think about how he could get back to the little one: Ed would surely look great as a bunny, wouldn't he? This is the result.
> 
> I intended this one to be my present for my friends for Christmas and New year's...Well, better later, than never! :)
> 
> NOTE: There are some minor instances of swearing, cursing and violence. In case anyone would be bothered by those. Also:
> 
> All rights to the manga, the anime, the anime film, the official merchandise and anything one can think of belong to their respective owners. I merely possess the right to a lurid fantasy.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Colonel Mustang is fed up with Ed's insolence, and he decides to teach him a lasting lesson in a very stylish way. His performance goes somewhat awry as Lt. Hawkeye shows up with more paperwork, but he salvages the situation, sending the boys to penal public work.

Now that was it! He really did it this time. Time after time he had to put up with such a tone , with such an unruly, impulsive, very hot tempered, impatient and self-centred person. It was thoroughly getting on his nerves. Now, come to think of it Lieutenant Hawkeye once remarked under her breath ’you two have _very_ much in common…’ This memory indeed did not help to soothe his temper.

Roy Mustang’s  face was like one giant wrinkle, all the muscles twitching with anger simultaneously. His fists as well actually. There were no traces of his usual cool temper, that freezing focus and stern, calculated logic that characterized his demeanour. Should someone had seen him for the first time in his life, no one would have guessed that he was usually very official and civil. Not that though. Whatever merry feelings he had had about this time of the year, they were turned sour.

 _’I_ put up with his insolence, time and again in the interest of everyone, but what’s enough is truly enough! I will show this brat where his true place is.’ Edward stared defiantly over the Colonel’s desk still. ’For such a brat, his gaze carries a pillar of fire within it.’ Mustang thought. Even so, he could barely make the eye-contact because of the paperwork which – as always – piled up, and which Mustang thought can ideally be done when no one else worked. ’Colonel sarcasm’ managed to swallow at least two smart comments about the irony of the situation, partly due to the fear that Edward would retaliate with his own, using the plush animals and candy on the oak desk as metaphoric ammunition.

Mustang didn’t really know how they got there, but it all looked like the proverbial Noah’s ark: bears, kitten of various sorts, rabbits, toads, lions and even dogs in pairs, one male, one female (if toys could have a gender at all). He was happy about the last one at least, being enamoured with the great qualities of dogs: loyalty, honesty, camaraderie and self-denial. Then there were the all the sweets, mostly candies, but two whole cakes from the best apothecary in the city as well. Based on the objects themselves and the elaborate and very colourful package in which they were wrapped, the colonel concluded that the whole affair bore the touch of his subordinates. It could only have been the work of the Armstrong-Havoc duo, smuggling in the incriminating material while he was sound  asleep…ehm, deep in thought this afternoon. Incriminating, for he was quite certain that should Lieutenant Hawkeye discover his office in such a state, he would be in deep trouble. He was already sneaking out to have some fine steaks whenever he could, thereby conducting a clandestine operation in rebellion to the strict diet the over caring Lt. imposed upon him. Should it appear that he was totally disregarding the diet, collecting toys – which could only have come from lady-friends in the city – and also neglecting – as per usual – his official duties with the paperwork…well, let’s just say that he preferred a very quick reassignment to the northernmost garrison on the drachmian border to facing her. For now though, he had to deal with the Fullmetal kid and his _actually_ fullmetal younger brother. For which he just got an idea…

Roy Mustang flipped his fingers in a move that became almost mechanical over the years. The usual sparkle followed.

Edward Elric was actually horrified for a moment. He had seen first hand what the ’Flaming Alchemist’ could do if he really put his soul into it. To think that such destructive power might be just directed against him and his brother gave him goose bumps. He calculated that – had he wanted to do so – the colonel could fill all the room with a horrible firestorm that would vaporize everything – himself included. For that reason – and because it was known that the money had grown strongly affiliated with the furniture, especially its handpicked parts – he figured that the man was most likely to use a directed, precision strike limited in depth by the large conference table behind Ed and Al and in height by the carpet. In the fraction of a second Ed made the decision to jump backwards in order to dodge the incoming strike and to trust his brother to figure the same thing he did. He barely landed on his feet, crouching in his new position when he realized that something strange was afoot.

He saw the sparkle after Mustang cracked his fingers together, but there was no fire. No explosions. Even so, the colonel’s smug smile grew wider only. Then Ed saw the strings which seemed to have their roots somewhere on the large office desk the colonel was standing behind. They quickly grabbed him. He tried to dodge but it was no good, not in the position he was in and not with the time he had available. He practically trapped himself with that jump before and judging by the swiftness of the strings his opponent knew exactly what he was going to do. That knowledge set his blood boiling as it probably added to the liveliness of that ugly grin on Mustang’s face.

’Calm down Fullmetal, it will be over soon.’ Roy said. Like thousands of such assurances in thousands of such situations it managed to nerve the victim as it was most probably intended to do. Ed struggled intensely against the strings surrounding him. Whatever they were made of, he was strong and should have been able to break them. He should have, but they were tying down his arms completely and very tightly close to his body, so much so that it actually hurt. He took a brief look to his left, where – as expected – Al was.  Ed could hardly believe his eyes. His brothers already large stature seemed to grow in every direction. It began with his legs, the strings attaching like pillows on the metal. ’That clever bastard.’ Ed grinded his teeth. Whatever that stuff was the colonel was doing, it was unlikely that he wanted to kill them. A flame strike would still have been a more efficient and sure way to accomplish that. That left the possibility, that he wanted to incapacitate them. If that were so, Alphonse was not in any danger, needing no nutrition, oxygen or sleep…unlike Ed. It probably would have been the best course of action for Al to try to break his brother free first, before his own mass could become his own worst enemy. However the attack on his legs completely diverted Alphonse’s attention and kept him busy while Ed was getting tied up like a large piece of gammon. ’LET US GO YOU BASTARD!’ he cried out to no avail.

Colonel ugly-face – a new nickname Edward just came up with – was not lying in that instance though. It was over soon indeed. After the strings covered their bodies up completely, they loosened and shaped in an instant into…’Wh-what is this?’ Ed asked thoroughly annoyed. ’What does it look like, Fullmetal?’ Mustang asked in his usual, ice-cold voice. ’Brother…you, are…you’re dressed up as a bunny!’ Al’s voice was shaking with disbelief. Ed panicked. He expected something _really_ bad after he took a look at his hands, but this put things in an entirely other perspective. He quickly took a look on his reflection in the windows behind Mustang. ’THAT **JERK**!!!’ He will pay for this.

’Well, that’s more fitting, isn’t it? A pipsqueak in a rabbit’s costume.’ Roy said, looking half-side with a superior grin. He was profoundly satisfied with the outcome of his work. In fact if anything, it looked better, than in his imagination.

’JUST WHO ARE YOU CALLING LITTLE?!’ Ed yelled. ’I’M GOING TO TAKE THIS CRAP AND SHOVE IT DOWN YOUR UGLY THROAT!!’ He was just about to put that plan into action, when Alphonse spoke up. ’Brother, I feel…heavy.’ Ed took a look at his brother. He was dumbfounded. Al looked like one giant snowman. Black pitch eyes, a long screw-like nose made out of candy, the giant puffer hands. Even a broom.

’What’s the meaning of this?’ he turned back to the colonel, demanding an answer. ’I just he thought that you could use some change of perspective, that’s all.’ the man answered. He seemed actually serious about all that. Just what the hell was he thinking, jerking them around like that? And for what purpose? Ed’s frustration increased exponentially with the time passed. He was about to say: ’Answer me, dammit!’ when he heard his brother’s voice.

He didn’t hear Al laugh like that for years now. The expression ’burst into laughter’ has never been as true as in this case. He was practically shaking with it. ’Haha hahaha, hahahhhahha!!’ Ed was pissed, especially since he has seen exactly how ridiculous he looked in that outfit, so the laughter was justified. Nothing hurts like the unpleasant truth. ’Would you quit it dammit, we have some problem to deal with!’ he screamed at his brother.

’I-I…I just can’t stooop.’ Al answered between two breaths needed to laugh. The feeling was so overwhelming that despite his increased size he was actually rolling over on the floor. All the while Mustang was standing behind his desk, smugly, watching over them like the statutes of the Fuhrer in the main square of every city, a silent reminder of who was the superior of all his gaze fell upon.

After some moments that seemed like an eternity, Al finally managed to take control of his emotions and stand up, ready to deal with the perpetrator. ’I’m sorry brother, we can continue.’ he said. ’Right.’ Ed said under his breath. It was about time. ’Now!’ – he pointed at Roy – ’just what the hell do you want with all this?!’ he asked.

’Well, you know.’ – Roy answered in as casual a tone as he could muster – ’I just wanted to make sure you understood what it meant to be military personnel. It’s not just sunshine and butterflies you know. The military is no place for wild, obstreperous, insubordinate children. This might teach you a lesson in doing your job properly, not slacking off and treating your superiors and official duties with the due respect.’ He sounded like a school teacher. Or even worse: as a textbook at the military academy that obviously was taken seriously only by those fools, who were too stupid to think for themselves.

’Sir, pleased do sign these papers.’ Lieutenant Hawkeye just entered the room, bringing a bunch of official-looking papers with herself. Roy was less, than pleased at having his playtime interrupted in such an unrefined and raw way.

’Fine, fine. Leave them on my desk.’ he replied. The Lt. was probably expecting such an answer, for she had served for some years now with the colonel. ’Sir, may I remind you that these requests, reports and inventories were due to review the day before yesterday?’ Mustang felt defeated as a grin appeared on Edward’s face. All his hard work ruined. ’Hah, proper respect for official duties, eh?’ Ed said in a casually insulting tone. ’And please’ – Hawkeye continued – ’do read them before you actually happen to sign your own court-martial confession.’ Mustang collapsed into his chair. That was it. Defeat, and not just a complete, but an utterly humiliating one.

However…rarely is a battle lost until one is alive and doesn’t give up. Mustang stood up again, prouder than ever. ’You two!’ he said, looking at the Elric brothers. 'As a reminder of our duties to this country, you are going to help out the good people of Central City by providing them entertainment and clearing up their streets!’ That much was right up to the point: it was still heavily snowing, for the third day in a row now. The Public Services Directorate could sure use a pair of extra hands. The brothers didn’t seem to like the idea much however. ’But, colonel! Please. We understand, and we are sorry.’ Alphonse said. ’Right, Ed?’ The runt didn’t speak a word, looking as defiant as ever, as if trying his best to disprove his brother. A silent clash of wills followed, Roy trying to reassert his authority as an adult, and as their superior. Which one was the more important anyway? ’You are completely out of your mind if you think that we’re going to do this.’ Edward said. ’We have more pressing matters on our hands.’ That was true too, but none of the concerns were immediately pressing. So, what better time than now to discipline the brat?

’I could just withhold you any funds you need if you prefer.’ Roy said with a sly grin. ’The taxpayers of this country are working hard for the public money you keep throwing around for dinner of 17 dishes at a 4-star hotel.’ There was something to that. Something, but not exactly everything.

’THAT WASN’T ME!’ Ed exclaimed. True, it was that **idiot** Lin. How exactly did the colonel expect him to control such a self-centred, wilful, undisciplined…wait; wasn’t that exactly what Mustang was just accusing _him_ of? ’Yes, but he is  wrong!’ Ed convinced himself. After all, he made it clear from the start that he was the military’s dog only as far and as long as it served their purpose of getting their original bodies back and at any rate, he wasn’t causing such trouble as Ling. Or was he? ’Argh, never mind! Just don’t give him more ammunition.’ he thought, looking at Mustang.

’Just remember, that people are working very hard for the generosity you show towards others on the state’s behalf.’ the colonel said. ’Now, get on with your task!’ Finally, Edward broke his gaze. ’Whatever.’ he said. ’Come on Al, we should get to it so we can get back to the _important_ ’ matters as soon as possible. ’Right.’ his brother agreed, catching up to Ed. ’Fullmetal?’ Mustang’s voice rang in the air.

’Yeah?’ Ed looked back.

’No alchemy this time.’ Seriously, just how far the colonel intended to carry this bad joke?

’And how on Earth do you exactly expect us to perform the task of cleaning up the streets then?!’ Ed shouted.

’Well, that’ – Mustang said, pointing to the broom in Al’s hand – ’is a good start.’ Ed’s cheeks turned red with blood in anger, but he didn’t say anything this time. The round was Mustang’s, but the battle was not over.

’It’s a good thing that Al won’t be cold out there.’ he thought as they left the room. He could hear Lt. Hawkeye letting out a heavy sigh, like a mother when her kid was doing something pointless once again, as she followed them, out of the room. The lieutenant didn’t interfere with the colonel’s little game, not this time. Mustang however was sure that his subordinate was unhappy with his way of handling the Fullmetal kid. ’That’s her right.’ he thought cheerfully as he put his legs on the table and lighted his favourite brand of cigar. ’What a fine day.’ he thought as the impact of ice drops resonated on the glass of the windows. He imagined how he was going to deal the same way with any annoying people when he became Fuhrer. That evening, as she cleared off the ashes of the blown cigar from the documents marked ’TOP SECRET’ and ’URGENT’, Lt. Hawkeye was wishing if she could send the colonel to join the Elric boys in their merry task.


	2. Sparkles of warmth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ed and Al on their penal service enjoying themselves in a snow-war. Right until the good people of Central City start harrassing them and an unfortunate incident follows, showing them the less than bright side of their country. However, reminiscences of old days keep their spirits up.

They have been at it the whole, very long, very tiresome and very boring day. Ed and Al laboured tirelessly to clear of the roads for cars and people walking by, constantly stared at by strangers. That was actually the better part, for there was no supply of innocently forthcoming children and superbly proud men to brag about the ’rabbit runt’, the ’Snower-broomer’ and so on. If his count was right, Ed was called a ’pipsqueak’ 17 times, ’little’ 31 times, ’short’ about 23 times and ’Mr. dwarf bunny’ 68 times. ’ _Annoying brats!’_ he thought. On occasion he came very close to sending some of them flying with his alchemy or his automail but in each case he was stopped by Alphonse before he could have given those imps what they deserved. 

‘Ahh, this is just so unfair.’ Ed sighed as he leaned forward, resting his chin on the hilt of his shovel. ‘We are stuck out here, freezing our asses off in this chilling cold, while Colonel Smugface is probably drinking his third cup of tea, with biscuits sitting in his comfortable armchair.’ An unmistakeable sound emanated from Ed’s groin, making him realize just how hungry he was. Al smiled in his mind. That was just like his brother.

‘Don’t worry Ed’ – he said – ‘we move this one more mass of snow and then we are done.’ Ed didn’t look quite happy about it, but he seemed ready to acquiesce in the unpleasant reality. He could only _dream_ of hot chocolate right now, but if it were up to him, he will not go to sleep without one. That’s how ideas turn into matter.

A grin appeared on Ed’s face as he thought of the people who on more than one occasion thought that he and Al were wizards using magic. ‘I suppose it is magical.’ he thought. Alchemist could turn something existing in their mind into reality by using a bunch of raw materials. The closest man came to God, and to creation. No wonder that many alchemist were in way over their heads, losing all sense of proportion and propriety.

‘Hey, brother!’ Al exclaimed. ‘Look, isn’t it authentic?’ he asked, pointing with his right hand at a half metre tall, horizontally rather…wide, and very vague representation of Colonel Mustang. Alphonse was sure that this should delight his brother. He wasn’t wrong.

Ed erupted into laughter at the sight of the mini-snowman. He was so engaged with it, that Ed actually failed to realize the profound irony in Al – looking like a snowman, thanks to Mustang – built a Mustang snowman himself. ‘Now, who’s the little one, eh?! Oh, where are you colonel, shouldn’t you be working at your desk? So there you are! Is this chair too big for you?! You can always fill in a requisition form for another one in view of your…special needs.’ Edward seemingly enjoyed unleashing all his anger at the innocent snowman, taunting the still object while dancing around it. It rather looked like a tribal ritual. ‘God save us…’ Al thought resignedly. ‘I guess there’s no harm in it.’

Ed’s arm just screeched when he wanted to reach out, imitating to throw another punch at the unfortunate stand-in. ‘Hell, it’s truly freezing out here.’ he thought. The cold was biting, not really as much as it would be in the north, the temperature staying way away from -20 °C, but still. It wasn’t exactly the East either. It was starting to get dark, so better wrap up their business and head inside. This situation was actually familiar. Then he remembered.

He remembered the white linen, covering the hills. He pictured the trees and bushes dressed up in white snow and ice. Then the images of the pastures white were mixed up with memories of his family. He almost felt the warmth of the flames emanating from the fireplace reaching up to his fingers and hand and engulfing them in a warm bath. He felt the long-missed taste of his mother's hot chocolate on his tongue again. And he heard Al's innocent laughter when they sat together, the whole family, sitting together on the couch, their mother reading them tales at the light of the fire. 'Hah, the good old times I suppose.' He couldn't even think that without a bittersweet taste of irony in his mouth. They sure were not cut much of a slack. He wasn't going to whine over old wounds however. Ed and Al have decided a very long time ago That they will take responsibility and they will move forward, doing what good they can. He treasured all the good memories, but they were not to tie him down. Like the one when they were out a whole day from sunrise to sunset, building snow castles from which they fought a war, using intense barrages of fist sized snowballs. They made snow angels. Once they bet who could make a prettier one – of course Winry said that Al's was the better. And naturally they built snowmen.

'Hey Al' – Ed called out to his brother 'do you remember that one time, when we built a giant snowman under that great tree?'

'Yes, of course!' - excitement decorated Alphonse's voice. 'And as I recall, you got stuck on the top of the head, unable to get down. We had to build you a snow slide.' That was a very forthright suicide.

'I'd watch your tongue if I were you, Alphonse.' Ed threatened. 'After all, if I remember right, I wasn't the one who landed that snowball on Winry's bed.'

Al felt the urge to swallow, even though he physically didn't have to. 'That wasn't my fault!' he reacted instinctively. It was so easy to get back on Al. He just always wanted to be perfect.

'I remember you throwing it.' Ed said.

'Yeah,' - Al replied – 'aiming at a particularly annoying target.' He quickly launched a snowball towards Ed just as he finished saying that. His brother was agile, but with the freeze it was hard to dodge – for both of them – and surprise was on Al's side.

'You want a fight?' Ed asked, in a challenging tone as the snow dropped to the ground, after leaving a wide red mark on the cheek it hit. After that the inter-actor tension quickly escalated from a tempered diplomatic exchange into a full-scale war of annihilation. Snowballs and snow spears flew with incredible frequency as both of them gave everything they've had in the fight. That particular segment of the street around them quickly took on the shape of a battlefield: covers, traps and death zones being erected out of ice and snow. Neither of them could recall when the last time that they actually enjoyed themselves so much was.

'Insolent brat!' Ed heard a rather annoyed cry from nearby. They have been so much taken in by the engagement that they failed to pay attention to the passers-by. The man with the long brown moustache was wearing a brown bowler with a long coat and pants of matching colour. He seemed to fail to appreciate the fun potential in the situation.

'I am really sir.' Alphonse ran up to him. That was just like Al. He tried to humour even jerks. 'Yeah, we are sorry.' Ed said, without actually caring. 'Please, let us get back to our work.' he added.

'Your work, eh?' the man snarled. From the scenery here this looks like a battlefield! What is your work exactly? Assaulting the good citizens of Central City?' Ed felt his blood starting to boil, but he didn't want to pick a fight with a simple idiot.

'Cleaning the streets. So we took some time off, big deal. Now, please proceed and let us do the job.' That was like oil on the fire. ’Why, I’m going to show you how to talk to someone!’ the man raged. Ed wasn’t frightened of course, more like annoyed.

’He’s still lucky that his idiocy merely annoys me, but I swear, one more time he calls me little…’ Ed let out a sigh as he touched the ground and turned the snow into ice under the man’s feet. He reckoned that a show of force might be the fastest way to deal with this. ‘Bullies always bark loud, but run at the first wind of a challenge.’ The man duly fell on the ice. He didn’t suffer serious injuries – apart from his hurt pride.

‘You brat! I’m going to report you to the military! No one uses alchemy to harass people here!’ he snarled – yet again.

‘This is getting tiresome.’ Al thought. He didn’t have his brother’s hot temper, but this was quite enough. ‘Too bad that I’m a state alchemist.’ Ed said, showing off his pocket watch. Which – mind you – took quite an effort, in that bunny costume. Quakes of disbelief ran through the features of the ‘gentleman’ on the ground. He kept quiet for a minute and the brothers were just starting to think that he was finally going to move on and attend to matters of actual importance. He didn’t. He kept going on about what ‘disrespect’ they had shown to him.

‘People like him don’t understand that they degrade themselves to that level by giving up the right to be treated as an equal human being through their actions.’ Al thought. ‘If only he could show some understanding.’ By now a small crowd was gathering around to see what all the commotion was. ‘This is the military!’ the guy who was just getting back up to his feet ranted.

‘That’s where our money goes! Kids playing on the streets in armour, attacking innocent passers-by!’ A reporting that did justice to Amestrian public information services to the full in accuracy, if not in style.

'Hey!' Ed was positively outraged by now. 'That's not at all how it happened!' His protest fell on deaf ears however. 'Oh yeah, then how did it happen, dog of the military?' a young woman asked. 'Is that what we are paying you for?' a tall man joined his voice in the angry mob chorus. More and more people started shouting. There were cries of 'run, dog!' and 'you should be ashamed of yourself!' and 'if the Fuhrer knew!' The situation deteriorated quickly, with snowballs flying towards the Elric brothers. 'Crap.' Ed thought as he took cover behind a rashly-erected snow wall. Al hid as well, though nothing could actually cause damage on his armour, but it seemed a good idea not to provoke the angry civilians just by their sight. '

What do we do now brother?' he asked Ed, trying to keep his head in cover. That was a good question indeed. The crowd seemed to be outraged enough to be beyond intimidation. They could run of course, but then what would happen with the task the colonel entrusted them with? Ed almost made up his mind to make a run for it. That was the only way to avoid casualties.

'What's going on here?!' an imposing, ice-cold voice cut through the cacophony. She wore the blue coat of the military, and the black leather boots coming with it. Judging by her strips, she was a captain – the badge on her chest revealing that she was with the 1st Guard Battalion. A formation – if anything – having a particular reputation of rigidity and ruthlessness, having been involved in every one off the 'cleaning' operations since the formation of the state. 'Well?' she demanded. She established her authority in a single moment. No one dared to raise a voice.

'Another soldier trying to play with us?' the man, who started all of it stepped forward. 'We are nothing but faceless slaves to you; you order, we obey – that's your idea of life.' There was some whispering among the people, with a generally supportive tone. 'Lieutenant!' Ed came forward.

'Hm, what is a little guy like you doing here?'

LITTLE? 'Say that again one more time...anybody. I WILL step up to you and tear you up from limb to limb!' he thought. 'Anyone...' that's what he wanted to say as well. On the other hand, however fun it would have been to land up the colonel with more paperwork, one should pick his fights wisely, not on whim. 'I am a state alchemist, here.' he showed the pocket watch to her.

'Huh, interesting. I've never seen a bunny state alchemist.' she said. Al was utterly confused. He thought that he heard the tone of an ironic smile in her cold voice. Ed resigned himself to the role of the wiser party in this conflict.

'Please, it's nothing of importance. Just a stupid misunderstanding.' The woman looked unconvinced.

'Is that so?' she asked. The people gradually became bolder as the initial shock wore off.

'Just leave us alone, military dogs!' they began shouting. Snowballs began to fly again, and some of the crowd – that in the meantime has grown to more than a hundred – made threatening moves. There was tension in the air. Then a piece of ice hit a soldier standing right behind the major, ripping open his coat over his shoulder, blood flowing from the wound. That was enough.

'This ends here and now!' the major said. She stepped forward, to meet a man charging forward. She grabbed his arm, stepping aside, then throwing him on the ground. 'Under paragraph 55 of the Act on National Prosperity I place you under arrest.' she said, holding the man down with her left knee, as she placed on the handcuff. That set of another wave, people rushing to the rescue of their captured fellow. Ed and Al got ready to erect a wall blocking their advance, but the major was quicker. She reached for her side-arm, aimed and fired. The shot hit the knee of the one at the front, shattering it to pieces, and sending him screaming to the ground. That stopped the others as well. 'Anyone wants another?' she asked.

'Lt. Just what the hell are you doing?' Ed asked, furious. 'You didn't need to do that!' he added.

'Now, listen, alchemist.' she leaned towards Ed. 'You started this mess, and you cannot even clean it up. You are a disgrace to the military, not even wearing the uniform. These people' she pointed to the crowd 'attacked a soldier, which is considered high treason and a crime punishable by death in this country.' That was news to Ed and Al. They knew that the military ran the country, but this tightly? Such an attitude was way overboard. Anyway, what the hell was with that attitude? Just what did she think she were? There was something Lt. Ross and Sgt. Brosh said once: 'A state alchemist is equivalent in rank to a major.' That was it! He accepted the leash, he could use the privileges too.

'Stand down, Lieutenant. I command you.' he said, his eyes fired up. The woman looked in his eyes.

'It's "major", alchemist. You don't give instructions to me. Now stand aside and let me do my job.' Which got just a lot easier as people began to disperse, to the greatest relief of the soldiers around. If the order were given, they would probably pull the trigger, but they sure wanted to avoid it if they could. The soldiers took the injured man and the one handcuffed into a truck, a medic rushing to attend to the wound of the civilian and the injured soldier.

'Our task is to protect the people, not to shoot them, major!' The major let out a heavy sighed, apparently impatient with a child lecturing her.

'Listen...brat! I've served in three wars now, and killed more people than there were here now. Do you really think that this country is together still because of the popcorn and the fluffy balloon animals? Anyone who can think should realize in a minute that the military is imposing upon them. The only reason they haven't overthrown us already is that from time to time there's a crackdown.'  Her voice was more chilling, than the freezing air. Ed's patience was at an end. Before he could do something rash though, he heard a familiar voice:

'Are you mad?' Al asked. Simple and straightforward. That was his brother.

'I don't need this.' the major said with contempt. She turned around to leave.

'Don't you dare turn your back-' Al said, reaching for her with his fist. She dodged the arm, looking quite satisfied.

'So, what will it be? Are you going to assault a fellow officer?' she asked.

'I won't let you hurt more people!' Al said, determined to carry those words into action. Ed – somewhat regaining his composure – knew better however. It was no use.

'Al, stand down.' he said, his eyes on the ground.

'But, brother-' he protested.

'I know Al. We promised to set things right and to defend people. But we must choose our fights carefully.' he said. Al stood still for a moment, then lowered his shoulders. 'Yes.' he whispered.

'I'm glad you boys learnt something of being a soldier today.' the major said, quite proud with herself, then left with her men without any notice.

Ed and Al just stood there in the falling snow without saying anything or moving, contemplating the events of the day. They certainly didn't expect to be witnesses – and to an extent, causes – of a riot and its brutal suppression. The world was a violent place, they knew that. They accepted to be a part of that violent world, and an especially violent machine – the military – within it. But they never accepted causing harm to innocent civilians. Yes, those people were wrong in bothering and then attacking them, but they didn't deserve to be shot. Ed lay down, heavy with thoughts, finding some solace in the cold ground. As he looked up on the cloudy sky and the falling snowflakes he wondered how such beauty and horror could coexist, next to each other.Perhaps this was just another facet of the cycle Teacher taught them about. The worst part of it was that they were powerless to change things. 

'We did everything we could, brother.' Al said, obviously sensing his concern. He was lying on the ground as well – a curious sight, the bunny and the armour amidst the snow.

'Yeah.' Ed answered. 'And we're going to do better next time.' That was true. They've learned another lesson today. Perhaps the colonel was exhaustively annoying, but he was not a brute.'Hey, Al, do you remember the snow angels we used to make?' That sure did cheer his brother up.

'Yes, of course. They were like snow miracles, waiting for us to return the next day.' he said.

'Yeah.' Ed chuckled. 'Like two snow guardians, looking over our castles and the sky. We used to have a lot of fun.' Ed said in a nostalgic tone. 

'That we did.' Al confirmed.

They lay there for some more minutes, just relaxing in the serene scene. They sure deserved that after such a day. They left just as the darkness descended, bearing witness to the litting of the lamps on the streets. There were still many people out, a testament to the vitality of the city. As they got back to their hotel Ed's gone over the weird sequence of events of the day once again, from the time he stood up to the colonel, through getting turned into a walking rabbit mascot to the riot and the intervention of the unknown major. He shuddered as the memory came to his mind. Luckily the lamps were glowing on the walls, with a special kind of brightness. The flames 'dropped' some sparkles as they flickered. 'Sparkles of warmth.' Ed thought, grateful for the warmth after a day spent in cold. They ignited his spirit once again, along with the desire to get back on the colonel for putting them through that ridiculous ordeal. And for that, he's just got an idea...


	3. Sparkles of fury

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ed puts his plan for revenge on that idiotic colonel into motion. Things get out of hand however and that involves some huge explosions, destroying some civilian property. As always, Lieutenant Hawkeye has to deal with the situation.

The light of the candle flickered in the dark, staging a play of shadows on the wall and the floor as it continued to waltz. Electronic lighting – an innovation that was widespread now in the urban and partly in the rural areas as well – was available, but only as a convenience. Candles had a special aura emanating from them, the smell of the burning wax and the limited efficiency gave an entirely different feeling to their users, than simply switching on or off a lever. Besides, while the electronic companies were almost all state-owned – another blessing of the protective and caring rule of Fuhrer Bradley – the wax candles were produced by smallholders.

‘Nothing compares to the wax of Schumann’ Roy Mustang thought as he strolled the decks towards his bedroom. He knew the Schumanns for a while now, the old man having employed him in his early years. He was a very pleasant man, and very gifted in his own profession. His motto, ‘Honesty is rewarded.’ summed up his philosophy of life perfectly. Perhaps fittingly enough, he died of pneumonia because the Home Department messed up accounts in the Health Insurance Fund. Roy smirked at the thought. The old man could have been the symbol of the average citizen – hard-working, more, than less honest and minding his own business, especially his beloved family. Like most of them, he was prevented from attending to them by the unwarranted interference of others. He had a daughter. What was her name...Anna, Dana...Jeina? 'As I recall, Jeina wanted to marry me once. I wonder what's up with her now.' Roy wondered as he entered the bedroom.

Last year was one insane chain of occurrences. Homunculi, the Fuhrer one of them, the Elrics on the run, the country's top officers – men known as capable and exceptional soldiers and leaders – all self-centred and greedy bastards, betraying not only the abstract ideal of their country, but the far less abstract idea of the bonds with the soldiers with whom they served and who put their trust in them – and the death of Maes Hughes, Roy's best friend. That was the worst of it, the loss of the man who believed in him with complete conviction. The memory of the first time when he heard what happened and the farewell at the funeral still pained him, although he tried not to dwell on what he couldn't change anymore and move forward – for Hughes, and for the vision  of a better world they shared. A vision that had more validity than ever after this last year. 'Indeed, it has been one long rampaging carnival of insanity.'

Roy was tired of it, very tired. However, he didn't have the luxury to waver, far too much depended on him to do so. He wasn't going to be like those sick, disgusting mummies who allied themselves with Bradley in the hope of saving their sorry skins from some wrinkles. What he had – honour, friends and ideals – was incomparably more important, than what those people sought. A flash crossed his mind like a lighting. The flash of a tinge of blonde hair, a feeling of belonging, a pair of brown eyes. It was like an ignition, a sparkle lighting up and spreading through his mind. His weariness disappeared in a moment, his once foggy path clear once again. He could go to sleep with that feeling. With the conviction of taking a stand on behalf of those he belonged to.

The night was to be calm, everyone expected it to be so. It was early spring now, and usually that meant mild temperature, clear sky and fairs and still nights. That, however was not the case today. Today it was raining fervently, drops slamming against the glass on the window. Actually, it was sleeting - all the worse, since the rain would melt part of the snow, turning the streets into a giant mess. A lighting struck periodically. Still, Roy Mustang was sleeping sound in his bed, not fettered by what was going on outside. He pulled the sheet up higher on his shoulder. 'Damn, that guy is totally irritating _even_ in his sleep.' Ed thought. It wasn't exactly hard to get into the apartment, despite the obvious risks coming with it. Now, it was time to put his plan into action. 'Now, colonel...'. Ed finished the preparations for the execution of the plan, then retreated to the observation point, where Al was readily waiting for him.

'YOU ARE DONE FOR MUSTANG!' A loud, screaming noise filled the darkness, banishing calm silence to more tranquil lands. Roy Mustang woke up instantly to the deafening sound with the readiness and sharpness of a veteran who served in the military for many years. ‘The Hero of Ishbal’ they called him. What a preposterous title. ‘I guess the old saying “Kill a man and you are a murderer. Kill a hundred on the battlefield, and you are a hero.” really goes.’ – Hughes said once. However among his peers a man is very much – if not completely – his reputation and even a preposterous pretence might prove a useful stepping-stone on the way to the Fuhrer’s office.

The Flaming Alchemist was widely known as a stoic and composed man who never lost his cool. Never? Well, hardly ever. To be fair an eight foot tall creepy monster appearing at their bedside with a squealing voice and a pair of glowing red eyes – that would scare the cool composure out of anyone. The weirdest thing was that apart from its height, it rather looked like Edward Elric. ‘Fullmetal?’ Roy asked still half-asleep, mainly from himself. His next reaction was confusion. Just what on Earth was going on? That was certainly a veritable question, but in the fraction of a moment that followed his soldier’s training took over. This was a life or death situation and he was not going to go down without a fight. He jumped up in the bed, crouching and ready to dodge any incoming blow. The thing was tall for sure, but it’s limbs seemed relatively short and that should give him some room to maneuver towards the door and even the window, if necessary. The thing didn’t attack but let out something that resembled an ‘evil laugh’ as closely as possible. Roy decided that he shouldn’t give the assailant – whoever it was – a chance to strike first. He put on his gloves that he snatched from under the pillow when he got up.

‘Now, let’s see who you are.’ he thought, crashing his fingers against one another. A sparkle followed and a stream of flame appeared, embracing the mysterious stranger. ‘Crap, what the…?’ that was all it said, before falling silent. Roy put his hands together to extract some moist from the air. It seemed appropriate to not let his apartment burn down to the ground, especially as insurance was not providing for damages in such cases. The colonel then proceeded to examine the remains of the monster – it turned out to be a rather shabby figure, a red cape thrown on a metal body. The eyes were operated and the figure moved by a small battery. What mattered however was not the clumsily handled technical details, but that clear signs of transmutation were observable and that could only mean one thing. ‘Fullmetal.’ Roy concluded. If there were any doubts before, none was left.

‘Now, then.’ he said, quickly grabbing his boots, then putting on his coat. His eyes on fire – with sparkles of fury popping up -, he moved. ‘It’s time to play this out, Elric.’ he added as he quickly left his apartment and began descending on the stairs to the ground floor.

Descending? More like swooping down like an avalanche. He panted heavily as he ran as quickly as he could. He’s thrown open the front door of the flat, stepping out in the cold. It was freezing, but he was fired by the determination to grab and then promptly twist the neck of that brat. He looked around the street. It was quiet and empty, befitting the time of the year and the warm atmosphere, provided by the temperature. He didn’t have much to go on in finding the boy, in fact the mission was close to impossible, so he had to rely on his instincts. The colonel reckoned that if this was not a trap by the homunculi – and indeed, why would they try to lure him into a trap if they could get rid of him at any moment of their choosing – then indeed Elric was behind the whole thing. Come to think of it, that bunny incident might have been the catalyst for all this.

Which meant that he managed to get the lad upset. _Really_ upset. That prompted a smirk on Roy’s face, and indeed was a very gratifying thought. He took a look on the building in front of him. It was a hotel, facing his own block across the street. Since his very unpleasant encounter with the Fuhrer and the dispersion of his trusted team of veterans he’s taken the precaution of stripping all of the windows from their curtains, which made it much easier for him to screen potential observation or assassination attempts. Lucky, that the owner was an old friend of his. He flipped his fingers, and a blaze appeared. Going over the windows with his eyes he saw something glint.

‘Got you!’ he concluded triumphantly. With the rudimentary receiver and speaker built in the thing that attacked him the Elrics couldn’t have been far away and if the brat actually wanted to observe his…uneasy reaction to the surprise first-hand, he could only have done so from the hotel. He started pacing in the freezing wind towards the front entrance, when the door was shut open. It was the Fullmetal alchemist and his brother.

 ‘Crap!’ Ed thought, spotting the figure on the road. If the military coat and the dark hair had not given him away yet, Ed would have recognized the colonel’s statute anyway. Though come to think of it, the pyjama pants were also a rather obvious sign that it could not be anyone, but the colonel looking for the perpetrators of the little show from earlier. Ed actually counted on the plan derailing, but not on such fast a reaction. It has been merely five minutes since Mustang has incinerated his presumed attacker and seemingly he has already found them.

Ed didn’t really want to face the wrath of the colonel – which, judging by his face was considerable – especially not now. Or ever. He could have tried to apologize of course, to no avail. ‘It is all his goddamn fault anyway.’ he sulked. ‘Run, Al!’ he said to his brother, then turned left and started sprinting. ‘Fullmetal! Stop you bastard!’ he heard the screams of the angry colonel from behind. Well, angry might have been an understatement. Furious was a more fitting description. ‘Why cannot he just let it go?’ Ed thought. ‘We are even now, why dwell on it more?’ He ran various scenarios of how to end this without anyone getting hurt in the end, but none of them seemed really promising.

‘Do you think he’s going to kill us, brother?’ Al asked, running just right behind him.

‘Not if we outrun him!’ he answered. That was actually true. They should just lose the pursuant, then lay low for a while, perhaps leaving Central altogether. It is not as if he could actually harm them. They were designated sacrifices by the homunculi, the same people who held the colonel and his men virtual hostages. However, in that state of mind he was in right now, there were no guarantees that he wouldn’t lock them up very deep in a cellar, then throw away the key. Ed for one didn’t want to spend his days locked up in a dark place until the homunculi came to take him and Al away for their psycho project. An explosion sent waves of energy off on Ed’s right.

‘What the hell?!’ he screamed. ‘He is really _that_ serious?’ The question was promptly answered by another explosion – this time right next to Al. Luckily, his armour protected him. ‘This thing comes handy sometimes.’ he concluded. ‘Colonel, please! Have you lost your mind?’ Al screamed, his head turned behind.

‘Come here you little runt so I can crush your small head!’ Mustang’s voice was loud, frustrated by anger and sarcasm.

‘THAT BASTARD!’ Ed was positively mad now as well. ‘ **THREE** times he called me short in a single sentence! THREE TIMES!’ he ranted in his head. He would have liked to turn around and just push that ugly bastard’s head into the snow on the ground. This charade’s been going on quite long enough anyway as they ran through the whole length of the street, then turned left on the corner and left again on the next one. That was quite enough of an exercise for one night. However, if he did that, someone _would_ get hurt by the end. Better let cooler heads prevail later. ‘Hah, discipline, right?’ he thought maliciously. ‘The colonel is acting much more like an angry child, than an adult.’ That thought amused him.

He didn’t have much time to indulge himself though as he had to dodge another explosion to his right. He jumped sharply to the left to avoid what’s been the largest explosion as of yet. ‘If it’s going to go like this, he’s going to destroy the city sooner or later.’ True, the explosion was of such magnitude that Al probably had to jump away from it as well. ‘What a both—‘ Ed was thinking when he realized that what appeared to be glass was fast approaching his head. He barely had time to raise his right arm as protection over his head. He impacted on something solid. What exactly, he didn’t know as he was too disoriented to figure that for the moment. After a second or so he heard metal clashing against wood, a sure sign that Al followed him wherever he landed himself. Then there was another explosion.

Ed’s head was spinning as he struggled to regain his control over his senses after the impact. The place where they were appeared to be a shop, made easily distinguishable by the storefront. He took a look around, spotting Al on his right in no better state, than himself. It was still comforting to know for sure that his brother was alright. There were every kind of bakeries around, but mostly biscuits, cookies and cakes. An apothecary! the realization hit him like a bolt. That was alright, if one had to fight through a populated area this was a place deserted for a moment and as classy a battleground as it may get. There was only one minor flaw: the flames licking the walls and the ceiling – the missing part of the front side of the building was only a minor nuisance compared to that.

‘Fullmetal, are you alright?’ Mustang asked, actually seeming concerned.

‘What the hell?’ Ed pouted in his head. ‘First he sets half the town on fire, then he is concerned about my well-being?’ However, it was no time to continue the feud, someone had to put the flames out after all. ‘Yeah.’ he said summarily.

‘And you Alphonse?’ Roy asked.

‘Yeah, me too colonel.’ Al answered.

‘Good, then get up and help me put out this fire that you so carelessly caused.’

The guy sure had some nerve. It was **all** his fault and now he was going to blame Ed. ‘THAT **JERK!’** he though, his fists instinctively forming up for a punch.

‘Hurry up Fullmetal, enough damage has been done!’ Mustang hurried him. That was true, he should think of the people of the city first. Al jumped on his feet, and Ed followed suite.

‘Lend me a hand Al!’ he asked his brother, nodding towards the ceiling.

‘Sure brother.’ he answered. Ed jumped up on Al’s hand, who gave him a boost as he reached towards the roof.

‘Good idea, Fullmetal!’ Roy said, recognizing what the young alchemist was going to do. Ed smirked, then placed his hands on the ground, melting the snow that covered the roof. The water quickly extinguished the flames – and also managed to get Mustang totally wet. Ed felt gratified at that, though in that freeze the colonel might easily have got pneumonia. For that reason exactly Roy ignited a small piece of wood (luckily, he had his lighter with him), holding it close to dry his clothes without actually setting them on fire.

‘What a mess.’ he thought. He stepped out on the street, trying to find the materials that made up the store before its untimely demise. ‘Lend me a hand here!’ he ordered the Elric boys. ‘He should really learn some flexibility.’ Al thought. ‘He practically destroyed the place and is still ordering us around.’ that was about what Ed thought as well, but in less polished and polite form. The three formed up, the three edges of a triangle. They focused on what the store looked like before – as all of them had glanced at it before, they should have been able to put it back together. They put their hands on the ground, and the light emanating from the use of alchemy lit up. The first attempt however was less than successful. The glasses were covering solid wood, the door was in the wrong place and some of the destroyed cakes were rendered inedible.

‘Ah, it’s just too much!’ Ed thought. An alchemist could only put things back together if he knew _exactly_ how they were before. Of that, he really didn’t have any ideas.

‘It’s impossible, we just have no idea of what it was like before it got destroyed.’ he said, sighing heavily. Al seemed to agree.

‘I guess we’ll just have to do it the old fashioned way then.’ Mustang concluded. ‘You’ll just have to write a cheque covered by your personal research fund.’ Even now he was annoying.

‘Wh-hat?!’ Ed asked, outraged. ‘You were the one who destroyed the place!’ he said.

‘And just whose fault is that Fullmetal, I wonder?’ Roy responded in a calmly contemptuous tone.

‘Why, yours of course Mr. Bunny-turner!’ Ed replied.

‘It is not my fault, that one of my subordinates is _totally_ incapable of following orders and showing respect to his superiors!’ At least the smug bastard threw off his mask of calm. Al was dismayed that those two still had to carry on this pointless brawling. What was the point really? They both were at fault! Still, as good average people they both stubbornly refused to admit the other’s point of view. That would have been tantamount to surrendering their pride. They would probably have carried on like that, were it not for the intervention of others.


	4. Sparkles of belonging

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the end of day what matters is who stands beside you. Ed, Al, Roy and Riza all understand that in this chapter.

Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye let out a heavy sigh that could be barely heard over the roaring engines. She was on an inspection duty, assigned by the Fuhrer to observe the nightly-operations of the policing patrols and report back on her findings so that a possible insurrection should be supressed easily. That was the ostensible reason of her overwork anyway, but she’s got the feeling that the real reason was that the Fuhrer just wanted to get rid of her for a short time. ‘He must be up to something.’ her guts told her. After all, he’d been the one to personally insist on holding her a hostage – and through her, the colonel – after that debacle with General Raven. She was actually grateful to be out of that dreadful office, where she was constantly being watched.

It’s been a very…exceptional experience to work with the Fuhrer, a cold man by any account, but also an extremely efficient one. He didn’t have moral qualms but neither a personal agenda, such as enriching himself or others. Well, if one discounted the whole ‘homunculi conspiracy’ thing. Had he a soul, he actually could have been a great leader for the country. But he didn’t have one, Hawkeye remembered every time that those cold and piercing eyes laid their sight on her. It always sent a shiver down her spines. It was reminded her of Ishbal somehow. The war was initiated by Bradley after all. In the office all these memories and the dark glimpses of the future cast an oppressing shadow over her. Out here however it was an entirely different thing. The cold air was refreshing and doing something useful with her men was actually invigorating. She loaded in a new magazine to her rifle.

She might need it quite soon enough, for tonight the patrol was called out to a downtown fight, witnesses reporting explosions and fire. By the sound of it, it was something serious, for people usually were not crazy enough to draw attention to themselves right in Central City by starting to demolish it. The truck suddenly came to a halt as the driver pressed the break hard. Soldiers started to jump off the platform, with weapons loaded. ‘It’s truly cold. The fat I used on the rifle will do good in such circumstances.’ she concluded as she stepped on the ground.

‘Alright men!’ she shouted. ‘Form up in squads of four, and get the street locked down asap!’ The soldiers saluted.

‘Yes, Sir!’ and began executing their order. It was a routine procedure, something they have done many times before.

‘Sergeant Krammer, privates Bolafsky and Iren, with me!’ she said, preparing for inspecting the situation herself. The blue-like light emanating from a position nearby made it likely that they were dealing with someone using alchemy. Could it be that Scar decided to continue his disrupted quest for vengeance? Or could it be some kind of new foe? At any rate, she was not willing to take any risks. Command had to know about this information, just in case.

‘Corporal,’ – she ordered the woman handling the radio – ‘call Central Command and inform them that the incident was likely caused by someone using alchemy.’ Clear and simple. Alchemy was a potential danger carefully controlled, - and sometimes: abused – by the state for a long time now but there were dangerous alchemists outside the military, all the more so that their abilities were mostly unknown.

‘Should they ask – do we require reinforcements?’ the corporal asked.

‘No, not yet. Proceed.’ Hawkeye answered. It was better to investigate the problem first before dragging all of Central Command out of their beds to deal with a phantom crisis. That decision quickly turned out to be well-conceived as the military party was greeted by a thoroughly unexpected scene. The scenery prompted many questions: most important of all was why did Colonel Mustang wear his pyjama pants and ‘WHY ON EARTH WAS ED WEARING A BUNNY COSTUME?!’

 ‘Maker…’ Lieutenant Hawkeye sighed. Her party was called up to a possible threat; to stop someone wracking havoc on the city. It turned out to have been an angry Colonel Mustang who’s been incensed at the Elric brothers, also present. ‘Just how childish he can get?’ the Lieutenant asked herself. It was one thing that the colonel was sloppy – to say the least – when it came to filling in his paperwork or keeping his office clean, but from neglect to destroying civilian property was a great step. One that those boys – knowing Ed’s temper and the colonel’s high-handed attitude – probably helped to facilitate. It seemed after all that Riza Hawkeye was not to be free of her daily problems even tonight. As for the culprits: they still bickered, whenever they dared to open their mouths.

‘Good grief.’ she thought. ‘Perhaps I should just give them candies and balls of twine to play with.’ That was a delighting scenario at least. ‘Alright.’ she said decisively. ‘We are leaving this place closed for now and in the morning you are going to take the plans from the City Planning Inspectorate you are going to put this mess back together.’

‘But we already have our train booked!’ Ed tried to protest, only to be silenced quickly by a determined look of the Lieutenant. Luckily colonel Mustang and Al knew better – or were embarrassed enough – to make no protest. ‘But not before you personally apologize to the owner for destroying her property.’ Mustang nodded, giving in to the inevitable. At least that much went smoothly. She then turned to Krammer:

‘Sergeant, would you be so kind to bring some extra sheets for the colonel and ask the good doctor to take a look at him before he befriends a hospital bed?’ What was that idiot thinking? In that freeze he’d be lucky to get away with a fever.

‘I don-n’t’ – the colonel’s faint protest was cut short by an intense assault of cough. Hawkeye raised her right eyebrow. There were no further attempts at protest. ‘And someone, please rid the Fullmetal Alchemist of that ridiculous costume.’ she said.

‘JUST WHY COULDN’T SHE OMIT THE NAME?’ Ed sulked. ‘Did everyone in the military really had to know his name so they could spread the story around?’ Al stood there innocently as the only member of the group to have actually done nothing to promote what happened. Luckily, Ed had no idea what his younger brother was thinking: ‘Brother sure looks cute.’

‘Give me the cream, Fullmetal!’ Roy Mustang has probably never been so frustrated in his whole life. Yeah, surely, he went somewhat overboard last night, but this was really not doing it. Such a boring, complicated and annoying task! It reminded him of the old days when he was sent on latrine duty just after passing his alchemist exam. State alchemists were supposed to be extremely talented and valuable weapons, ehm…individuals, but not in Major-General Zachary’s eyes. ‘Your lot is more dangerous to us, than anyone else could be. We’d be better off without dogs, than with ones whose one bite is fatal.’ he said once. After that the tour de discipline Roy was sent on hardly came as a surprise. ‘At least _that_ task was humanly manageable.’ he thought.

Ed couldn’t have agreed more. Give him the ingredients and he could transform basically anything. He fought powerful enemies by now – soldiers, bandits, chimeras and alchemists. This however, was something entirely different. ‘How on Earth can Winry do this?!’ he thought. At that moment he was hoping really hard that the blonde girl will never learn of this episode. ‘Served you right!’ – she’d say, of course only in the case that she managed to stop rolling with laughter for a moment. That was the last thing Ed needed. Al on the other hand seemed to manage well.

‘Ehm, you know.’ he explained just a minute before. ‘I’ve read a lot of cook books during the night, when you were fast asleep.’

Ed passed on the lemon cream to the colonel, who added it to the mass in a rather sloppy way. It was bad enough that they had to do this humiliating work, but the worst was that Lieutenant Hawkeye was supervising them – together with the Madame, owing the apothecary – looking ready to shoot on sight. Though on second thought, this was still better, than what they had to face last night.

‘The first portion is ready.’ the Madame concluded. ‘Please Edward, would you be so kind to take it out?’ Ed nodded in agreement. He took a look at the oven, seeing his own reflection in the glass. Behind that were their creation, one created without the use of alchemy. Ed inspected the cookies – they looked quite chocolatey enough to him. A sparkle left lighter in the oven. ‘It probably shouldn’t do that.’ he thought. Still, it did no harm yet, so he shouldn’t mess with it. He opened the oven and took out the cookies. They actually did smell good. That was probably Al’s doing, not his. After finishing, he returned to the preparation of the lemon cake, which the colonel almost managed to finish by now.

‘Looks fancy colonel.’ Ed said. ‘Will it be edible as well?’ he asked sarcastically.

‘We will know after you taste it, Fullmetal.’ Mustang answered, no less maliciously.

‘Perhaps they will stop it after eating.’ Lt. Hawkeye hoped. Earnestly.

 A whole day of arduous work – but by sunset they managed to replace everything that was burned during the fight. Ed never felt so tired in his entire life and the only thing he wanted at this point was to go to sleep. That surely was a reasonable request. Perhaps too reasonable for a world that’s gone insane. Madame Berry, the owner of the apothecary insisted on inviting them over to her house for some ‘recuperation’, which mostly consisted of her introducing Mr. Berry and their grandchildren, Lucie and Annie. Al seemed to have enjoyed himself with the kids, giving them a ride on his back. They enjoyed his height and his sturdy ‘skin.’ It probably looked very much like a horse to them. At least they haven’t bothered Ed for long. The smaller one promptly pointed out that she hoped to grow as tall as Al in due time, not like Ed. Luckily for her, she didn’t follow up with any other ‘shortie comments’. They have enjoyed themselves with Al too much for that. Even that idiotic colonel seemed to enjoy the company of the kids. He showed off his skill for creating sparkles.

‘Put your index fingers together like that.’ Roy showed the kids. ‘Yes, exactly like that.’ he smiled. For some reason he felt very comfortable with the children. Perhaps it was that damn fool Hughes’ gift to him – one, out of many. After all the time he spent with little Elicia, he acquired a liking to and also some skill in handling them. ‘And now’ he said importantly ‘I insert this one here.’ He put his finger to the joining point of the other two, then turned it downside, then he pushed his two other fingers against it. The spark that followed ignited a small flame, dancing in the air as if calling out for the girls’ attention. They were very much amazed at such wonders.

‘Whoo, can we touch it, can we touch Mr. Colonel?’ Annie asked.

‘Yes, yes. Please, let us touch it!’ Lucie agreed.

‘Only if you are going to be good girls tomorrow and help your mother with the baking, alright?’ Roy said with a heartfelt smile.

‘Oki.’ the girls agreed. They each moved their other hand toward the flame, one after the other, steering it in the opposite direction as they moved the air with their quick motion. Then Lucie tried to blow it with, right up in Annie’s face, but the flame extinguished before hitting her. Roy laughed out as the girls finished their literal playing with the fire. He proceeded to hug them both, before sitting down on the sofa, next to Mr. Berry.

‘That’s an entirely different side of him.’ Riza wondered. ‘He’s so loving and sweet. Who’d believe at the HQ?’ She was glad that they were all together, that life has paused the swooping avalanche of madness for a moment and let them be relaxed and joyful for a time without any worries. Even if first that ghastly bunny business and the burning of the apothecary had to come. Sometimes – it seems – only mistakes can lead to true happiness. 

Ed was actually thinking the same. Whatever their differences and, hmmm, ‘manly competition’ with colonel Mustang, it felt great to bail out from the world of violence and hatred for a short time and sit back. This reminded him of that time when he was about 8 years old. It was around Easter, and they’ve spent the entire day cleaning the house and helping their mother cook and bake. Their father – though Ed didn’t like to think about him – was making his own contribution by painting some eggs and hiding them for the boys to find. He was damn good at it too – one they found in the oven, just before they put in the first part of the cookies, then there was one in Al’s bed, another behind Ed’s favourite book and one out in the courtyard. The last one took the most time to find, the better part of the day actually. It turned out that Winry held it, without any awareness of its significance. They enjoyed themselves very much that day.

Later in the evening Winry and granny Pinako came over and they all set down on the couch and chairs in the sitting room, their mother reading stories and fables of magical lands and valiant heroes to them as they drank hot chocolate. That was one of the very few times that Ed’s seen his father smiling. He didn’t remember the exact way of the smile anymore, but he did remember the old man watching them strenuously as they lay on their mother’s lap. Maybe they didn’t have that life anymore, or their parents with them. They did have people who cared about them and whom they cared about though. The image of Maes Hughes, that friendly, bragging and slightly insane man appeared in his head. His fists instantly clinched into a solid front. This was the world of the man, life exactly like this he died protecting and they will not give up until that they secure. Al interrupted his gloomy thoughts with an announcement.

‘Hey everybody, who’s interested in some cookies?’ he asked.

‘Me! Me!’ the girls shouted.

‘I think we all would be very happy to try them, thank you dear.’ Madame Berry agreed. Al seemed rather happy about that, obviously wishing to show-off his cooking skills.

‘Al, is that the one you baked in the apothecary? Your own recipe?’ Ed asked. Al turned towards him, nodding.

‘I made it, yeah. But its actually one of Doctor Marcoh’s recipies.’ he confessed, somewhat ashamed that it was not actually his own invention.

‘What?’ Ed thought. ‘Does that mean that the jumble we clawed ourselves through was not actually holding the secrets of alchemy in a coded form, but was actually a valid cooking book in its own right?’ he asked, more than somewhat perplexed.

‘I guess so.’ Al answered. ‘Better try it before we pronounce it great though.’ he cheerfully. That was right, they should better try it.

‘Uhm. Ohm. Soooo. Chocolatey. It’s soo good.’ Roy Mustang was the first to gave voice to his impression. Ed agreed wholeheartedly. ‘I should not forget to thank Doctor Marcoh for this delicious wonder the next time we meet.’ he thought to himself.  The girls liked it pretty much as well.

‘Well,’ Mrs. Berry said ‘a good cookie deserves proper accompanying drinks. How about I bring some hot chocolate for you?’ she asked, aware of Ed’s intense dislike of milk. Probably the staring contest he showed earlier on – thinking that no one has seen him – in a battle of wills with the glass of milk on the kitchen table gave him away.

‘That would be really nice, thank you.’ lieutenant Hawkeye answered. The girls cheered on, showing their approval of the idea. Mrs. Berry returned soon with seven cups of steamy hot chocolate, everyone getting one. Even Al, though he really didn’t need any with that armour, but Mrs. Berry was as of yet unaware of his true corporal position.

‘I know what’s missing. How about I read you a tale girls?’ she asked Lucie and Annie.

‘Yes, please do mummy!’ they answered in unison.

‘Can you read the one with the princess and the fairy?’ Lucie asked.

‘Of course my dear.’ she said. ‘If that’s okay with the others.’

‘Of course. I like tales very much.’ Roy answered. ‘Especially with charming little princes as you are.’ he said to the girls, who quickly ran over to him for a hug.

‘He’s really a natural.’ Riza thought. ‘He’ll make a good father one day.’ That thought produced a heartfelt smile on her face as she observed the commander with the two girls.

‘Sure, we’d love that!’ Al said, Ed nodding in agreement.

‘It is decided then.’ Madame Berry concluded, and sat down on the couch, with the girls coming to rest comfortably on her lap. The whole situation didn’t fail to remind Ed of their own old days as a family. Of course, the colonel and the lieutenant were not there, but by now they were like family too. Madame Berry began reading in a slow tone, stressing every important part and producing impressions of the characters. They all sat there, listening to the tale and drinking their chocolate.

‘Brother,’ Al said ‘this is the one mother read to us so often.’ Ed grinned. ‘Yes, it is. A family tradition.’ he answered as he observed the sparks jumping up from the burning wood in the fireplace from time to time. Roy was relaxed, feeling an unusual atmosphere of serenity and tranquillity engulfing him, while musing over life. ‘Sparkles take many shapes. There are sparkles of doom and destruction. There are sparkles of wonder and magic. And there are sparkles of emotion, of passion, of bonds. Sparkles of belonging.’ 


End file.
